Some have called it a waste of money, whilst Mayor of London Boris Johnson has hailed it the "Hubble Bubble" tower for its likeness to a shisha pipe.
What ever your opinion Anisha Kapoor`s big red much maligned Olympic mast is definitely "different". The Arcelor Mittal Orbit tower is currently under construction at the Olympic Park in Stratford and will be 115 metres (377 ft) tall upon completion and its design is definitely winning admirers.
The tower which has also been nicknamed the "Eyeful" has been called a "marvel of Mathematics" by New Scientist magazine. The looping roller-coaster shape required engineers to develop complex mathematical formulae to calculate the effect of gravity and the wind.
Orbit is described as "Designed by Anish Kapoor with Cecil Balmond/Arup". Kapoor is a Turner Prize winning sculptor, while Balmond is the head of the Arup consultancy's Advanced Geometry Unit (AGU). The AGU is described as a "quasi-academic research group which blends science, maths and architectural design to 'explore the impossible' in terms of structural engineering".
The commendation from New Scientist will come as a relief to the two creators of the much criticised tower , and to the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal , who backed it with £19.6m.
This is quite elaborate structure ... I wonder how difficult it was to work out the structural calcs for this type of structure !
ReplyDeleteWOW thats impressive but Im not sure how safe it could be ..
ReplyDeleteYou should feature this in your Sci-art section !!!
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